By Cindy Jackson
Reporter
February 28, 2020
The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival (AICMF) came into being in 2001, created by the visionary Christopher Rex, (who at the time was the principal cellist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra) and a group of like-minded individuals who shared his love for this very special form of music.
For the uninitiated, chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments with just one performer for each part. Because of its intimate nature, chamber music has been often described as “the music of friends”.
Well-known composers like Franz Shubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Johann
Sebastian Bach, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart –world-renowned as masterful classical composers featuring full-blown orchestras have all also created some incredible chamber music pieces. Pieces like Serenade no. 12 in C minor for winds by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert’s Quintet in A major. Schubert wrote that piece specifically to feature just one each of piano, violin, viola, cello. These pieces just happen to be at the top of a list of Ten Great Chamber Music pieces developed by David Pogue and Scott Speck.
This 19th season of the AICMF commenced on January 24 with Anne-Sophie Mutter performing at the First Baptist Church which is perhaps the largest venue here on The Island. Ms. Mutter is often touted as “one of the greatest violinists of modern times.”
The 2020 AICMF season spans several months with three performances in March and three more in April. The grand finale features “The Zuckerman Trio,” at The Ritz Carlton on April 6th.
Of special note, however, is an event that took place on February 1st, 2020, at the Fernandina Beach Life Center located at 1901 Island Walkway – otherwise known as the home of The Council on Aging — just one of the many partners AICMF has made over the years.
In addition to serving as a great example of nonprofit cooperation and collaboration, this event can also be described as the perfect “coming together” of so many art forms — and generations.
Envisioned as a way to successfully introduce future aficionados and supporters to the grace and beauty of chamber music, this unique event also served as a perfect opportunity to bring together a number of other art-minded organizations and art forms — on the same stage.
Put very simplistically, (thank you Wikipedia), “The arts refer to the theory and physical expression of creativity found in human cultures and societies. Major constituents of the arts include visual arts (including architecture, ceramics, drawing, filmmaking, painting, photography, and sculpting), literature (including fiction, drama, poetry, and prose), and performing arts (including dance, music, and theatre).
The February 1st event was created to feature all artistic disciplines and it did. Entitled “A Musical Carnival for Children of All Ages” this performance had elements of music, dance, literature, painting, poetry and prose.
The music it performed by Julie Coucheron and Elizabeth Pridgen on piano and Christopher Rex (director of the AICMF) on cello. Dancers came from the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and the Bean School of Dance and in keeping with the theme of “carnival” – the dancers wore masks designed and painted by folks at the Amelia Art Studio.
Add to that was the voice of Frank O’Donnell, an eight-year resident of Amelia Island and a regular on the stage at Amelia Musical Playhouse (AMP). He narrated a popular poem of by Ogden Nash, a famed American writer of children’s books and poetry. As described in the program for that day, Mr. Nash was inspired to write verses for each of the fourteen movements included in the Carnival of the Animals by Charles Camille Saint-Saens. The choreography was the work of Susan Dodge who directed the (first ever) Amelia Island Dance Festival.
There was something for everyone and the goal of the AICMF was deliberate. Not only does the AICMF want to increase participation among “millennials” – the children in tutus are also a part of their target market.
In that vein, “A Musical Carnival for Children of All Ages,” was followed by a concert by Ricky Skaggs, who is perhaps best known as a bluegrass performer. Among the performers up next are Itzhak Perlman, Valentina Lisitsa, Lynn Harrel and Elizabeth Pridgen, the Dover quartet and the Zukerman Trio.
Itzhak Perlman, a violinist who can probably go without any introduction performs on March 19th at the First Baptist Church and the entire line-up and ticket information for the AIMCF concert season can be found at: https://ameliachambermusic.org.
Editor’s Note: Born in Hagerstown, Maryland, Cindy received her BA in Political Science from Dickinson College. Upon graduation, Cindy began her career on Capitol Hill working as a legislative aide and director. She later became a part of the public relations and lobbying team of the American Iron and Steel Institute and served as director of the office of state legislative affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Cindy was involved in economic development with the state of Maryland, and served as executive director of Leadership Washington County. As a community volunteer, Cindy participates in numerous volunteer activities serving as a member of Sunrise Rotary, and as board member of Cummer Amelia Board of Directors.